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Western Michigan group planning no-kill animal shelter

Lebanon Animals Rescue
Posted at 2:14 PM, Aug 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-16 14:14:38-04

AMBER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — An organization in western Michigan has plans for an animal shelter where euthanasia is not an option.

Mason County PAWS has finalized the purchase of a 12.5-acre property in Amber Township for a no-kill shelter, the Ludington Daily News reported.

Jacklyn Osgood, the nonprofit’s president, said it’s a big step for the organization and for area’s animal advocates.

“This has been our dream for five years,” Osgood said. “We just want to have a place — a central location — that all of the organizations can use. It’s going to be for all of us. It’s all to help the animals and the people who help the animals.”

The plan is to build a shelter capable of housing between 10 and 20 kennels for dogs, with room for about 50 cats at a time.

“I want to build so we can expand if needed,” Osgood said.

The most pressing need will be preparing the property east of Ludington for winter, and Mason County PAWS will need donations and volunteers in order to make that happen.

“We’re going to have to raise a heck of a lot of money. We’re going to need a lot of fill dirt and gravel, because it’s a low area, so we’re looking for donations of any kind, and volunteers to help us knock down the grasses and stuff, because it’s quite overgrown,” she said.

The organization’s board will meet soon to determine a timetable for when the shelter might open.